1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a low-angle grip device for an electronic news gathering (ENG) camera and, more particularly, to a low-angle grip device equipped with a remote controlling member for remotely controlling an ENG camera for holding the ENG camera in desired low-angle positions.
2. Description of Related Art
A wide variety of electronic news gathering cameras have been widely used as portable television cameras to gather news on a spot. While such an ENG camera is usually borne on a reporter""s shoulder during taking pictures of a scene, it is necessary to hold the ENG camera in low-angle or dog-eye shooting positions. In order to enable the photographer to hold the ENG camera in a low-angle position, the ENG camera is equipped with what is called a low-angle grip detachably or fixedly secured to the top of the ENG camera. Some of low-angle grips of this kind are provided with a remote controlling member in the form of thumb ring, such as a zoom rate controlling ring, for remotely controlling the ENG camera with a finger of the hand by which the grip is grasped.
Because, typically, the low-angle grip is attached to the top of an ENG camera in parallel to the optical axis of the ENG camera, in order to put the ENG camera tilted up or down, it is necessary for the photographer to grasp the low-angle grip by one hand with its wrist bent forward or backward, which always compels the photographer to stand in an unnatural position and makes it hard for the photographer to continue low-angle shooting of a subject in the unnatural position for a long time.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a low-angle grip device for holding an ENG camera in a desired low-angle position which comprises a grip rod, remote control means installed to a front end portion of the grip rod and electrically connected to the motor drive unit for remotely driving the camera lens system, and grip rod support means secured to the ENG camera for adjusting an angular position of the grip rod relative to an optical axis of the camera lens system and supporting the grip rod in the adjusted angular position.
According to the low-angle grip device of the invention, the grip rod is adjustable in angle relative to the optical axis of the ENG camera, and consequently the ENG camera is held in desired low-angle positions suitably to shoot a subject downward or upward by gripping the grip rod 20 horizontally by a hand. As a result, the photographer can continue low-angle shooting of a subject for a long time without standing in an unnatural position. Further, the zoom ring is operated easily with the thumb of a hand by which the grip rod is grasped.
A low-angle grip device for holding an ENG camera in a desired low-angle position according to another embodiment of the invention comprises a grip rod fixedly supported at front and rear ends by grip rod support means which is detachably and slidably mounted on a base adapter detachably secured to the top of the ENG camera.
According to the ENG camera low-angle grip device of the other embodiment of the invention, the low-angle grip device is shifted to any desired position forward or backward with respect to the center of gravity of the ENG camera. Further, since the low-angle grip device is detachably mounted on the base adapter, it is widely applied to different ENG cameras having different shapes by preparing said base adapters fitted to the shapes of ENG cameras.